Triggers for 430EXII and 580EXII

Hi there,

So I just found out that I can get a free 430EXII through a bonus program. With that I'd have three 430EXII and one 580EX which should come in pretty handy.

And that got me thinking about wireless remote triggers again. I currently use either a 10m ETTL cable to connect my 580 and from there using the optical Canon system to control the 430s. Alternatively, I have a bunch of cheap China triggers that work pretty OK up to about 1/180s.

I've pretty much moved away from ETTL and set everything manually. It's nice to do that in camera through the Canon optical system as opposed to running around and setting it on the flash. But it's not the most important point.

So, what I'd like is a good quality, reliable system that can grow with me and my gear. Two obvious choices are Phottix and Pocket Wizards - both have advantages and disadvantages I suppose. The pre-flash of the Odins bothers me given that I want to add something like one or two Einsteins next, so that would be a problem - also when going the lightmeter route.

The PW Plus III look very reliable and sturdy but would not allow to set anything in camera. And I'm also unclear how you're really supposed to connect those to a bunch of 430EXIIs without ending up with a dozen adapters and lose dangling transmitters and cables (plus the added cost of all that extra stuff). TTL Pocket wizards would make that easier but there are some issue with those as well when it comes to interference and blowing out Canon flashes. Not sure how overblown that is but still doesn't want me spend that much money on them.

So, what are any potential alternatives? I remember seeing that some other companies had stuff coming out. Does anyone have any experiences or recent recommendations?

Thanks